A primer on commercial-skipping gadget

Videocassette recorders (VCRs) debuted in the mid-1970s, able to tape shows and then fast-forward through commercials, awkwardly. TiVo and ReplayTV, the first digital video recorders (DVRs), arrived in 1999. They used disk storage instead of tape and made navigation far simpler and quicker--85% of TiVo viewers skip most ads. The first cable boxes with built-in DVRs debuted in the spring. In August the EchoStar satellite service unveiled the first free DVR.

How to buy TV commercial-free

Pay-per-view cable has long been limited to a few movies and the odd heavyweight bout. New video-on-demand technology (essentially giant TiVos based inside a cable network) can store hundreds of hours of shows, including pay-channel fare, sitcoms and the nightly news. Like TiVo, they also can stop, pause, rewind and fast- forward at any time, undermining the concept of prime time. The Internet can deliver shows this way, but it's a few years away from doing it quickly and at high quality.

Stock quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes for Nasdaq, at least 20 minutes for NYSE/AMEX.
U.S. indexes are delayed at least 15 minutes with the exception of Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 which are 2 minutes delayed.